Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 4.1-4.14 Lecture 54 on 26 July 2026
Full Transcript (Not Corrected)
Opening Invocation
ओं जननीं शारदां देवीं रामकृष्णं जगद्गुरुं, पादपद्मे तयोः श्रित्वा प्रणमामि मुहुर्मुहुः.
Oṃ jananīṃ śāradāṃ devīṃ rāmakṛṣṇaṃ jagadguruṃ, pādapadme tayoḥ śritvā praṇamāmi muhurmuhuḥ.
ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते
पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः
OM PŪRṆAMADAḤ PŪRṆAMIDAM PŪRṆĀT PŪRṆAMUDACYATE PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTIH
OM That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.
OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.
Introduction: The Maitreyī Brāhmaṇa
Yesterday we completed the Ajātaśatru Brāhmaṇa, where Ajātaśatru was trying to convey that the nature of Brahman is full of bliss, and a glimpse of that state is easily understood when we study the deep sleep state. Today we are going to start a new teaching, and that is called the Maitreyī Brāhmaṇa. This is very important for us to understand. So this is the most popular Brāhmaṇam, and there are some beautiful parallels – some of the most wonderful ideas we get in this Brāhmaṇam.
Before we dive into the actual text, I would like to give a sense of what the chapter really wants us to understand. When we study these things deeply, we can understand how Kṛṣṇa also conveyed exactly the same thing. So when the time comes, I will of course discuss parallels.
The Essential Points of the Maitreyī Brāhmaṇa
Point One: God Is the Only Source of Bliss
Number one: God or Ātman is the only source of bliss. That is specially this point – the source of bliss, ānanda, is only in God, in Ātman, in Brahman, and in nothing else, in no other object. If at all we are deriving any pleasure or happiness or joy, it is a mistake. Every object in this world is only a mirror reflecting our own hidden nature which consists of Sat, Cit, and Ānanda. So what we are seeking really is Ānanda – bliss. When we are running after any object, we are not running after the object; we are running only after what we can squeeze from that object. And that object does not really have anything to be squeezed. All this effort only removes that curtain which is hiding that happiness from within ourselves. We are just removing with the help of the object that curtain, and that is what we call a mistake – that we are getting happiness from some object.
Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's Examples
Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa gives many examples, but two: the camel chewing on thorny bushes, and a dog trying to chew the bone – that is a beautiful analogy.
So God is the only source of bliss – Ānanda Svarūpa – and we love any object that we mistake as giving me happiness. The greater happiness we think is derived from any object, the greater would be our love. Which leads to the conclusion: the moment we understand, and the moment we come to know "this object no longer gives me happiness", it will be thrown out like an untouchable – like the sugarcane that has been chewed, all the juice has been sucked out. Like that, we will not keep it for a second.
Therefore, this particular Maitreyī Brāhmaṇa – even though it is a dialogue between Yājñavalkya and Maitreyī – teaches that no one loves any object but for one's own happiness, which is already within each one of us.
Point Two: God Realisation Is the Only Goal
Yājñavalkya specifically tells that God realisation is the only goal of life – Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's conclusion in his five commandments: Īśvara sākṣātkāra Īśvara darśana is the only goal of life.
Point Three: Worldly Possessions Cannot Give Immortality
Fourth, worldly possessions cannot give immortality. Worldly possessions may help us to gain some amount of pleasure – that too under so many restrictions – but they can never free us from this limitation of time, space, and causation. Immortality means mokṣa, mukti, liberation – whatever names we call. No worldly possession is ever going to give us happiness. When a man is suffering from intense toothache, he may be the greatest believer in this world, but he will not be able to derive "Oh, this is okay, but I have got lots of possessions" – that possessions will not minus this pain; that is not going to happen. Nobody can stop growing old, growing diseased, and finally attaining death. No amount of possessions can ever grant us that. That is why only jñāna, Ātma jñāna, can help us.
Point Four: Sanyāsa – The Ultimate Stage
This Maitreyī Brāhmaṇa teaches us what is the way: withdraw the mind from these external and internal objects, and that state of withdrawal is called sanyāsa – whether it is external sanyāsa, which is not very important, but more important is internal sanyāsa – that is the ultimate stage of human evolution, which is to know that "I do not belong to the world; the world also does not belong to me." That is called sanyāsa.
As we all know, Hinduism divides the whole life into four stages. In fact, the whole life itself into four stages, beginning with dominance of tamoguṇa, lessening of tamoguṇa, increment of rajoguṇa, then lessening of rajoguṇa, increment of sattvaguṇa, and possessing mostly sattvaguṇa. These are called varṇas – cāturvarṇyaṃ mayā sṛṣṭaṃ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ – whether a person is dominantly sāttvika, rājasika, or tāmasika – that makes his real caste, not birth caste.
Point Five: Sanyāsa Is the Ultimate Goal
Worldly positions cannot give. Sanyāsa is the ultimate stage. Everybody has to attain to that stage now or later. Realisation of Ātman, Brahman, Self, means seeing everything as Brahman, knowing that there is nothing other than Brahman – sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma.
Point Six: Everyone Has a Right
And the next sixth point is: anyone – man, woman, Indian, non‑Indian, Hindu, non‑Hindu – everybody has a right. Each soul is potentially divine, and the goal of life is to manifest that divinity, which is called God realisation. And to do this, as Swami Vivekananda squeezed the essence of it, either through Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Rāja Yoga, Jñāna Yoga – by one or more, or all of this put together – be free. This is the whole of religion.
Point Seven: The Goal for Every Life
So in this Maitreyī Brāhmaṇa, the seventh point: there is a definite goal for every life. Even the goal of an amoeba is only God realisation, but it has to evolve in order to become a fit adhikārī – sādhanā-catuṣṭaya-sampanna. That is why so many chances are given.
Point Eight: The Method – Śravaṇa, Manana, Nididhyāsana
So what is the way? Śravaṇa, manana, nididhyāsana. What is śravaṇa? Cultivate satsaṅga, hear good things, read good things, see good things – bhadraṃ karṇebhiḥ śṛṇuyāma devāḥ – that bhadram means hear about God, think about God, see only that which provokes the thoughts of God. That is what Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says: cultivate holy company.
Then he says: now and then go into solitary places – that is called manana – where there are least number of obstacles; make the mind completely withdraw from the thoughts of past and future and focus on God. That is called going into solitude. In solitude, think of the only Ātman, Brahman. And nididhyāsana through the practice of discrimination – viveka, vairāgya, etc. Nididhyāsana means become completely one with reality, with Brahman, with Ātman – that is called God realisation.
Examples from History
This Maitreyī Brāhmaṇa also is being repeated. For example, what did Chaitanya Mahāprabhu's wife Viṣṇupriyā do? What did Buddha's wife Yaśodharā do? They all followed the footsteps of their husbands. When Holy Mother came to Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, he explained to her what he wanted in his life and asked: "What do you want?" She said: "I want to follow your footsteps. Whatever you want, that is what I want. You want God – I also want God."
Yājñavalkya said: "I am trying to enter into the fourth stage of life – complete renunciation." And that dialogue takes place. Maitreyī also said: "Will I get this immortality for which purpose you are taking to sanyāsa? Will so much of wealth you are leaving behind for me and my co‑wife Kātyāyanī give me immortality?" Yājñavalkya categorically denies and says: "No amount of possessions are going to really give immortality, because the only remedy for ajñāna is jñāna. Obtain this jñānam – knowledge – either through Bhakti, Karma Yoga, Jñāna Yoga, Rāja Yoga – by whatever means."
All Yogas Intertwined
In fact, every yoga involves all the other three yogas. Nobody can practise exclusively one particular yoga. If somebody is focused upon the form emotionally involved, that is called Bhakti Yoga. When a person is able to withdraw his mind and focus, he develops his willpower – that is called Rāja Yoga. When a person can worship everything as God, that is called Karma Yoga. Any person through the practice of discrimination and dispassion progresses towards God – that is called Jñāna Yoga. So every yoga requires all the other faculties – emotion, willpower, discrimination, and detachment.
Holy Mother's Example
So that is what we are going to see. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa tested Holy Mother: "What do you want? Do you want children?" Do you think Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is ignorant that Holy Mother will ask? Let me directly ask her if she wants children through me – and he said: "I can give you." It is a marvellous episode reminding us of Yājñavalkya and Maitreyī. Holy Mother said: "No, I also want to follow your footsteps."
Now, do you think Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was not knowing what Holy Mother was going to do? He absolutely knew it, but for our sake he wanted to test – these all these words: "Do you want God or do you want worldly possessions?" – it is for our sake. Not only that, that also illustrates Holy Mother was not literate and yet she was qualified. She was a woman – women also can realise. We see in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka so many women – especially Gārgī challenges Yājñavalkya, the greatest Brahmajñānī, the greatest scholar.
Anyone Can Realise
Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa also knew: anybody – it does not matter. Latu Mahārāja belonged to a shepherd's caste; Kānakadāsa belonged to the lowest caste – all these people have attained mukti, nirvāṇa, or amṛtatvam because they were qualified. That is the point. So man or woman, anybody following any particular religion or no religion – but if they do the right path, follow the footsteps of the great, then they will realise God. That is a great lesson. That is why Hinduism is so generous – it does not want to convert anybody because it believes every path leads to the same infinite God. Infinite God has infinite pathways which can take anybody, provided they want it and they want only God, nothing else.
Kāma-Kāñcana
So these are the essential points, and as and when the occasion arises, we will also quote from Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa. Wealth cannot give any position. When Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says kāma-kāñcana is together – that is called worldliness – exactly what Yājñavalkya was telling: these things can give, under certain circumstances, some amount of pleasure and satisfaction. He is not saying they do not give – they will give, definitely. Dharma will give more puṇyam – more puṇyam means more sukham – but it does not mean that they will bring immortality. One cannot be attached to limitedness and at the same time desire "I want to be unlimited." If you want limited, then you cannot have unlimited. If you want unlimited, you have to understand these things.
The Central Figure – Maitreyī
So now I will go into a little more detail. This particular Brāhmaṇam is called Maitreyī Brāhmaṇam. Why? Because Maitreyī – the central figure; Yājñavalkya is only an incidental figure. Why do I call Yājñavalkya an incidental figure? Because we have to understand Swami Vivekananda's statement: "When the field is ready, the seed will come." Was Maitreyī ready? If she was not ready, Yājñavalkya would not have taught her, and he was a jñānī of Brahman – a jñānī of Brahman means directly Brahman. He is not somebody who is having the knowledge of Brahman like we have the knowledge of a tree, a man, etc. Knowledge of Brahman means knowledge of God, knowledge of everything – and such persons know who is asking, whether they are fit. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, as we know, used to tell "go and enjoy the gardens" because they were not ready for the teaching – not because he did not like them. There are no likes and dislikes in a God‑realised soul.
The Ready Recipient
So this is especially about Maitreyī. Anybody who is ready – if it were not Yājñavalkya, somebody else would have come and taught to Maitreyī. That is an important point we have to understand, instead of going on weeping: "Oh, if only I get a great Guru, then I would have progressed in spiritual life" – such is one of the greatest superstitions. Guru can give only what we are capable of receiving – no more, not even one billionth of a milligram can we add.
Maitreyī's Choice
So this is especially Maitreyī Brāhmaṇam – how she was ready. And when the occasion came, she chose like Naciketā chose between śreyas and preyas. So Maitreyī chose not preyas, whereas Kātyāyanī meekly accepted preyas. Preyas means Yājñavalkya was a very rich man, because he was a great scholar – so many students used to come, and many of the students were from rich families, and their parents were very pleased with Yājñavalkya; they used to donate a lot of things. Janaka himself had declared one thousand cows, and both horns of each cow were covered with thick golden cover. Yājñavalkya, even before the discussion started, commanded one of his disciples to drive the cows home because he knew he was not proud – a person who is to be proud, a knower of Brahman, can never be proud – but he has absolute assurance. Nobody is a realised soul here; everybody lacks something. "I know Brahman; others do not know Brahman" – like Ajātaśatru had so much assurance. So Janaka understood: "This is not a scholar of Brahman; he is a jñānī of Brahman" – that is why he accepted. And Yājñavalkya also made Janaka a Brahmajñānī exactly like himself.
Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's Example
That is what we need to understand. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa gave, by mere wish, nirvikalpa samādhi to Narendranāth at Kāśīpur on Śivarātri night – I think then that is called... because Brahman can do anything. It was not Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa; it was Mother Kālī, who is none other than Brahman herself.
The Heroine – Maitreyī
So we have to understand these facts and bring them in here, which will facilitate our understanding of this Maitreyī Brāhmaṇa. This is the most marvellous thing we have to understand. So the central figure – the heroine, as it were – is Maitreyī, and the teaching automatically flows. When a lake is dug, water will automatically flow – there is no need to invite; whenever there is rain or whenever water overflows from other lakes, etc., straight they seek where they can be held. Maitreyī was one hundred percent such a recipient. That is why she is the central figure – heroine, as we say – and Yājñavalkya was only an incidental figure. Remember: incidental means if it was not his name – it was Yājñavalkya – anybody who teaches, you can name him as Yājñavalkya; somebody or other would have come.
Sanyāsa – The Ultimate Stage
This Maitreyī Brāhmaṇa highlights sanyāsa. And what is sanyāsa we have to understand – it is not the external donning of an ochre robe. Sanyāsa means complete detachment with the knowledge: everything is temporary, changing, and partial truth; only Brahman is the ultimate one hundred percent truth – Satyasya Satyam. Therefore, sanyāsa is the readiness to become one with that Satyasya Satyam, which is Brahman.
Karma Kāṇḍa Is Limited
So for attaining Brahma Vidyā or identity with everything – self‑knowledge – because Karma Kāṇḍa (ritualistic actions) are limited, their results are limited. Since actions are limited by time, space, and causation, their results are also limited. Limited efforts can only bring limited results.
The Chapter's Opening
So Yājñavalkya teaches. Now the next point that comes is: what is the first point? Sanyāsa. The chapter starts with Yājñavalkya's statement: "Are Maitreyī – I am about to give up this – or expand myself from this gṛhastha life into a sannyāsī's life." He did not mention vānaprastha, because he was already a jñānī of Brahman. But why did he want to take sanyāsa? Would it hurt or harm his Brahma jñāna if he had not taken sanyāsa?
The Purpose of Sanyāsa
First of all, when a person becomes a knower of Brahman – which means he becomes one with Brahman, which means the individuality is no longer there – whatever that person does is the will of God. So only a Brahmajñānī can say one hundred percent: śokali tamāri icchā – "Everything is Your will, O Mother." So it is God's will. And then sampradāya – tradition, because every religion requires a sampradāya, tradition. Tradition next to scripture – first God, then scriptures, then tradition. This is how the greatest teachings are coming down to us. So the tradition has to be maintained.
Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's Sanyāsa
Why did Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa take sanyāsa? Was it necessary for him? He attained nirvikalpa samādhi even in the very first sādhanā – intuitively he realised nirvikalpa samādhi. But then to demonstrate – many people may mistakenly think: "Since Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa achieved without the help of any teacher, I can also do the same thing" – many can fall into that error, like many devotees of Ramana Maharṣi fell into that error and are likely to fall into error in future also. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa wanted to keep the tradition. That is why Swami Śaradānandaji described so beautifully: the day Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa took sanyāsa, the Ganges was overflowing with joy – she was dancing. One of the greatest ancient ṛṣis had again taken up sanyāsa to revive the system of sanyāsa again into this sacred land of Bhārata.
Vidvat Sanyāsa vs. Vividhiṣā Sanyāsa
So this is what we have to understand. It is not that Yājñavalkya needed to complete his knowledge of Brahman, but he was inspired from within by God to take up sanyāsa so that he can inspire other people for whom taking up sanyāsa is very helpful. Everybody does not become a sannyāsīn mentally automatically – very few people. So gradual evolution from Gṛhasthāśrama, then to Vānaprasthāśrama, then unto Sanyāsāśrama. And even in the Sanyāsāśrama, our tradition divides it into two: vividhiṣā sanyāsa and vidvat sanyāsa.
Vividhiṣā sanyāsa means the desire to realise God – and so many obstructions and obstacles one might have to face if one lives in the householder's life or in the world. So in the company of fellow sannyāsīns, it will be a great help. That is called vividhiṣā. But Yājñavalkya's sanyāsa was vidvat sanyāsa – Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's sanyāsa was vidvat sanyāsa. Vidvat means "after realisation" – to keep up the tradition, to encourage, to inspire, to be idealistic to other people, then one can take to sanyāsa.
The Announcement
So this is what we have to understand. So he makes a statement: "I am about to take up sanyāsa life." That means I will have to give up both my wives – Maitreyī and Kātyāyanī – "but you don't worry; I am not going to abandon you just for my convenience. I have plenty of money, and I have equally divided it between you – both of you accept."
Maitreyī's Question
In a way, Yājñavalkya knew about Maitreyī – he was testing Maitreyī. Then Maitreyī asks: "What for are you going to take sanyāsa?" Then he said that – we do not have it in the original mantras – "Even though I know what Brahman is, but for the sake of creating, continuing a tradition, I will have to take up sanyāsa." Then immediately Maitreyī asks: "Can I obtain the same knowledge of Brahman – which is called immortality, mukti, mokṣa, liberation – through possessions – enormous possessions, riches of your property, etc.?" And he says: "There is no hope, neither in the past, nor at the present, nor in the future – not for anybody. Only sanyāsa is the only way."
The Meaning of Sanyāsa
Sanyāsa is a mental condition which is accompanied by the peak of discrimination – viveka – the highest renunciation called vairāgya, complete control of the body and mind, and the acquisition of all the required sixfold spiritual qualities – kṣamā, dama, titikṣā, uparati, śraddhā, samādhāna – and "I want only God, nothing but God." Mumukṣutvam means like a person whose head is burning – has caught fire – and he saw a pool of water. Just imagine what do you think this person will do? Even if God comes and says "I am pleased with you, I want to speak with you", he will simply kick aside that God, because when the head is burning, the first requirement is to keep it cool – otherwise God will also fly away from a burning head.
Maitreyī's Qualifications
Maitreyī had those qualities. Of course, Yājñavalkya was a vidvat sannyāsī – that is the point we have to understand. And for that, sanyāsa is the only way – there is no other way. So this discourse establishes that sanyāsa is the requirement.
The Second Point – Everyone Loves Only the Ātman
Then the next beautiful point: we are all seeking – every creature, every living creature right from amoeba is seeking only pleasure, happiness, etc. And we are mistakenly thinking worldly objects, worldly possessions can give us what we are seeking. No, they cannot give. On the other hand, not only can they not give, but they stand as the greatest obstructions.
Love for the Ātman
Here is a point: as Yājñavalkya points out, everybody loves only Ātman, because Ātman is of the nature of love. We have seen in the first chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka – fourth section – that the Ātman is loved more than a son, more than a wife, and everything else. That is being expanded here: everybody loves Ātman. What is Ātman? Infinite Bliss. Nobody loves anything else – everybody loves. So every object we might mistake at the beginning that happiness or pleasure comes from this object. But over the course of evolution, we come to understand that true happiness, first of all, does not lie in the object. Secondly, the object is only helping us to remove that desire, and removal of desire is equivalent to becoming one's own self.
The Lake Analogy
You are like a calm lake. Suddenly something is thrown there and a number of wavelets will arise. That is why Swami Vivekananda gives this analogy while discussing the Patañjali Yoga Sūtras: in a vast, huge calm lake, you throw a stone – immediately the ripples are seen; they were small, then they spread and they spread and they spread. When Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa gives the example, when a huge ship passes through Gaṅgā, the ripples are felt and they are so strong that sometimes they can even drown smaller boats or people. So the ripple effect will be there.
The Function of Objects
Now Yājñavalkya is teaching that process – not only objects by themselves – as their inherent property, as their nature, do not possess even one iota, but they help us remove our own desire, and our desire acts as a cover for our experiencing our own ātmananda (Self‑bliss). So as soon as the cover is removed, we again experience that bliss which is our true nature. So an object temporarily, in a very limited way, helps us to regain our own ātmananda – that is their function. But since the same object can also produce more attachment, therefore more ignorance, therefore more spiritual obstacle – they have to be given up.
Not Loved for the Sake of the Object
Yājñavalkya wants to teach that "If I love you, I am not loving you as a husband loves a wife – I love you as God loves Himself: you are my own self. Kātyāyanī is my own self." If you are loving me, and Yājñavalkya gives a very long description: na vā are patyukāmayā patiḥ priyo bhavati, na vā are jāyā – that is, "the husband is not loved for the sake of the husband, but for the sake of one's own self." That means for the sake of one's own ātmananda – the bliss which is one's own nature. Anything that does not give happiness, we immediately remove it. Anything that gives happiness, we use it as long as it yields that or removes that cloud, that curtain – that is all its function. But in course of time, we understand that there is another way where permanently no disturbance will ever cover up this Self‑bliss. That is the point.
The Second Point Summarised
So that is the second point – that nobody loves anybody else. A husband does not love the wife for the sake of the wife, so also the wife does not love the husband for the sake of the husband, but for her own bliss – to regain her own lost bliss. And Yājñavalkya, crystal clear, says: Ātman is the only source of supreme bliss. Therefore, the realisation of Ātman is the only goal of life, and this Ātman must be realised.
The Threefold Process
But how to do it? Through the threefold process of śravaṇa, manana, nididhyāsana. So by understanding that the Self is everything, an individual achieves sarvātmabhāva. That is, a jīvanmukta sees everything as Brahman only when he is associated with the body‑mind. But if he is not associated, he will remain completely one with Brahman, where he does not say sarvātmabhāva – "everything is Brahman" – there is no everything. When there is no everything, even that idea of "one thing" also disappears. So a state of wholeness when the Ātman is realised, and when the dṛśya prapañca (the perceived world) is seen as non‑different from Brahman.
Why the Universe Is Called Mithyā
So why is this universe called mithyā? Because it depends upon somebody else. A very simple fact often we forget: when I see a sweet, the sweet depends upon its very existence upon my cognition. I see a sweet – if I do not see a sweet, I may see a snake – that is a different issue. So I see a sweet and it is a very desirable thing – again, that is my idea. Then if I get it, I will be happy – again, that is my idea. So it is my perception alone that brings – the external world has nothing to do with everything. That is called – the sṛṣṭi lacks independence. It depends upon Brahman. That Brahman is manifesting within us in the form of eye‑consciousness.
The Maitreyī-Yājñavalkya Dialogue in Context
That is what Yājñavalkya taught. And what is the context? The Maitreyī Brāhmaṇa appears in both the second and fourth chapters of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. In this very Śukla Yajurveda part of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, this Maitreyī‑Yājñavalkya dialogue appears twice. Now we are getting into the second chapter, but the fourth chapter – exactly the same thing is repeated verbatim, excepting a few words difference here and there. Therefore, we do not need really to study that one once we study this one. And the repetition also highlights how important in all this Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad these marvellous facts are: we are all seekers of happiness; we are all under the mistaken notion that happiness lies in the objects that we are experiencing. There is no happiness in objects – they only help us in the beginning to remove the obstacle to experience our own happiness, ātmananda. That is the point.
The Central Theme
So the central theme of this dialogue is Brahmavidyā, specifically the teaching of jīvātma-paramātma aikyavodhana. I think just like Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa made Holy Mother his own by loving her totally, and even if she did not want, he would not have stopped until he inspired her into realising her own Self. So this also perhaps is pointing out every husband's duty is to awaken the wife's spiritual consciousness. Actually, marriage is meant for that – to help each other, as if husband and wife are co‑pilgrims; they have desired to reach God – that is called going to God on pilgrimage – and both are weak, so one helps each other physically, mentally, financially in every possible way. That is the ideal householder's life.
Holy Mother's Service
Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa inspired Holy Mother, and Holy Mother also served Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa as the most obedient disciple. So like that, every husband has to do. And about every good wife, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa also has to say – a vidyāstrī especially mentioned that word – she will not allow her husband to spend more money, because more money means he has to work hard; more work means he will have less opportunity and more distractions thinking about God. Every time she will try to inspire her husband to tread the path of spirituality, and many times if he is not sensitive to that idea, she herself undertakes beautiful hardships in the form of austerity to pray for her husband.
I hope some bells ring in your minds – just like Nava Gopāla Ghosh's wife or Kālīpada Ghosh's wife came to Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa and Holy Mother – and he was a drunkard, lecherous fellow, immoral fellow – but she was a great chaste wife, and she obtained the grace of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa and Holy Mother through her prayers. As a result, he became one of the greatest devotees of Rāmakṛṣṇa. So husband and wife – not only do they have to inspire each other with spirituality, they have to do the same thing with the children also. So ultimately, both of them have to reach that knowledge where "I am not jīvātman; I am Paramātman – jīvātma-paramātma aikya jñānam." That is the very essence of every Upaniṣad, especially this particular Brāhmaṇa.
Śaṅkarācārya's View on Sanyāsa
Śaṅkarācārya says formal sanyāsa is necessary, and even as householders one can take mental sanyāsa and live exactly like external sannyāsīns, following only – they do not don the robes of an ochre cloth. That is all. Then of course Śaṅkarācārya goes on discussing that Gṛhasthāśrama is the main āśrama for the performance of Karma Kāṇḍa, as advocated in the first portion of the Vedas called Karma Kāṇḍa. For that, rituals are to be done, and they are imposed prescribed for every householder – they are called pañcatam. Pañcatam means a group of five – five things are necessary if the Vedic rituals have to be performed by any householder, especially Hindu householder. What is it? A pati, a yamanā – a married husband, a wife, a son, then material wealth and spiritual wealth (which means scriptural mantras). Four of these factors are exclusively meant only for householders. What is common? One – that is the scriptural teachings – are common to brahmacārīs, to householders, to vānaprasthis, and to sannyāsīns. But all the other four are exclusively only for the sake of performing gṛhastha certain prescribed Vaidika karmas.
The Purpose of Karma Kāṇḍa
Remember, this Upaniṣad is mentioning Vaidika karma because this Upaniṣad is thousands of years old. Nowadays, of course, we transform those yajñas and yāgas as pūjās – even that requires tremendous amount of preparations, etc. Śaṅkarācārya utilises some arguments: how karma cannot by itself give jñānam; it does not lead to mukti. For that, he gives certain points. What is it? Karma cannot give mukti – immortality. Scriptures clearly state that the remedy for ignorance is knowledge alone – for ajñāna, avidyā – jñāna is the only remedy. Ritualistic actions are prescribed for enjoying this worldly life, purifying one's mind, and slowly evolving towards Vānaprastha and Sanyāsaśrama by experiencing unfulfilled desires, so that after knowing about the nature of those desires, one can slowly, gradually give them up. The purpose of Karma Kāṇḍa is to purify the man's mind, expand his understanding, slowly make him develop detachment from the world – slowly but surely – and lead him from Karma Kāṇḍa to Jñāna Kāṇḍa. That is what we need to understand.
Śruti also encourages this. That is why he says: Śruti says everywhere, karma-sanyāsa is a necessary thing.
The Story of Maitreyī and Yājñavalkya – A Brief Summary
So this is in brief what Śaṅkarācārya wants to say – that it cannot give us that knowledge. So what is briefly the story of Maitreyī and Yājñavalkya?
The Beginning
This story begins with Yājñavalkya. He was a householder. He had two wives called Maitreyī and Kātyāyanī. Maitreyī was a great spiritual aspirant, and Kātyāyanī was a very normal householder attached to wealth, possessions, worldly happiness, etc. But she never made any obstruction to her husband Yājñavalkya. So he was a jñānī of Brahman, but he wanted to establish a tradition, so he desired to formally become a sannyāsī – not mentally remaining a sannyāsī, which he already was. And then one day he announced: "I am going to take up the external Sanyāsāśrama." Therefore, he called his wife and said: "I am going to distribute everything, then you will not be lacking anything even if I am not there."
Maitreyī's Three Questions
Immediately, the spiritual aspirant that she was, Maitreyī asked:
- "You are a quite a rich person – so much riches you are giving me. Will it give me jñānam, ātmajñānam, self‑knowledge, knowledge of Brahman?"
- "Will it give me mukti?"
Self‑knowledge – ātmajñānam, brahmajñānam, mukti, mokṣa – synonymous terms.
Yājñavalkya categorically replies in the negative, explaining that if a person has wealth, it provides comfort – certain equipments to see that a life is comfortable. But if the prārabdha is not cooperating, if the person has to suffer, even all the wealth in this world cannot help a person at all. It cannot provide a happy, peaceful, or immortal one.
The Profound Declaration
So he issues a profound declaration: vitte nāmṛtatvasya āśā nāsti – "There is no hope of gaining immortality through wealth."
Immediately Maitreyī rejects and says: "What shall I do with that wealth by which I cannot really become immortal as you have become?" – and requests that he bestow upon her the spiritual wisdom that prompted his own renunciation. Maitreyī understood: "He is a Brahmajñānī – not only my husband but a Brahmajñānī – and only a Brahmajñānī can teach Brahmajñānam. I am not going to give up this opportunity."
Like Nārāyaṇa Paṇḍita
Like Nārāyaṇa Paṇḍita understood Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, begged him of sanyāsa, obtained sanyāsa – he was the only sannyāsī directly obtaining sanyāsa from the hands of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa. Maitreyī said: "I will not rest until I attain the same knowledge as my husband. You teach me what you know" – because Maitreyī understood: "You have reached the goal, so I have not reached the goal. Please teach me."
Conclusion and Preview
So this is the brief story, and just one or two more points are there; we will discuss them in our next class, and then immediately go to the original text.
Closing Prayer
ॐ जननीं शारदां देवीं रामकृष्णं जगद्गुरुम् ।पादपद्मे तयोः श्रित्वा प्रणमामि मुहुर्मुहुः
Om Jānānāṃ Śāradāṃ Devīṃ Rāmakṛṣṇaṃ Jagadgurum Pada Padme Tayo Śṛtvā Praṇamāmi Muhur Muhuh
May Rāmakṛṣṇa, Holy Mother, and Swami Vivekānanda bless us all with Bhakti.
Jai Rāmakṛṣṇa!